1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capture device such as a digital still camera, a digital camcorder or a cellphone with a camera, and more particularly relates to an image capture device with a viewfinder for viewing a subject, the viewfinder either forming an integral part of the device or being an external member that is attachable to, and removable from, the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-125239 discloses a digital camera with an optical viewfinder and an LCD monitor. With such a digital camera, the user can capture a subject's image by viewing the subject either through the optical viewfinder or on the LCD monitor. If he or she selects the optical viewfinder, this digital camera turns off the LCD monitor, thereby cutting down the power dissipation.
However, if the LCD monitor is turned off as is done by such a digital camera, then not only the function of viewing the subject but also other functions become not available. For example, in such a situation, the LCD monitor cannot be used as a means for conveying information about various statuses of the digital camera to the user. For that reason, the conventional digital camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-125239 is provided with a dedicated LED as a means for conveying those pieces of information about the digital camera.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to get those pieces of information about various statuses of an image capture device displayed by an essential component of an image capture device, not a dedicated extra member, thereby cutting down the power dissipation of the image capture device.